Cat's Paw
by Amazonia-V
Summary: Story explores some not so idyllic moments in the relationship that Wonder Woman and Superman share.


_Themyscira_

_Occasion: Opening of the Library of the Wisdom of Athena to the other Worlds  
>The Inaugural Evening<em>

He hadn't come. Even though he said he would.

Of course, Diana of the Amazons, Princess of Themyscira knew all too well why her husband hadn't arrived.

Instead of behaving like the mature and rational man that he was, he'd finally opted to believe the outrageous rumours that she was involved with Bruce Wayne, alias the Batman.

And while, yes, Bruce had once ardently vied for her hand in marriage, the man had never meant anything to her. Not then, and most certainly not now. No man could ever be as handsome, or as charming, or as wonderful or as . . . _annoying_ as Kal.

Somehow, this mutual agreement of theirs to spend a little time apart had led to a lot of time apart.

Perspiration trickled its way down the length of Diana's exposed neck beneath her long, black curls. And she hadn't even been exerting herself. It was all due to the stagnant heat of a Council Room that harboured an unsightly amount of guests. A result of too many invitations sent. Invitations to all the worlds – there were delegates from every realm known and then some. And each delegation had added to list of scholars and scientists attending the event, until even the mystical isle of Themyscira had rippled under the additional numbers, causing Queen Hippolyta and her Council to take quick steps to stabilize the island. Even now, the Queen's Captain Phillipus, herself, stood at the portals of entry to limit the numbers granted admittance.

Far worse than the crush of all the people, aliens, humans, demi-gods was having to watch her adopted sister Cassie's new-found love with Connor. Cassie's dreamy enthusiasm towards love achingly reminded Diana of herself when she and Kal had first acknowledged their mutual attraction. But it took far more than dreamy enthusiasm to make a loving marriage thrive. She should know.

Bruce's lithe frame reappeared at her side again. For the fifth time that night.

Diana stiffened, but otherwise remained in place, knowing he was going to follow her no matter where she went.

Bruce watched from underneath his cowl and cleared his throat. "Princess. Might I have a word with you in Pan's Glen?

Gaea. The annoying man wouldn't go away. No wonder everyone thought she was involved with him. He was forever at her elbow, insisting on attention that was anything but respectable. What had happened to the unemotional, unreachable Batman?

Diana sighed, wishing there were no rules about being courteous. "I'm not interested in making polite conversation, Bruce. And most certainly not in Pan's Glen where our conversation may be construed as something it is not."

He moved closer, his gloved hand curving around her girdled waist. "You cannot keep eluding me."

Diana sucked in a breath and stepped outside of his grasp, eyeing the crowds around them, including Donna who lingered only a few feet away. Of course, her sister's watchful eyes had caught the interaction between Bruce and Diana, and the gaze that Donna turned upon Diana was concerned.

Diana set her chin, trying to remain calm. If she overreacted, it would bring attention. And that she most certainly did not need. "There is a very good reason as to why I am eluding you, Bruce, but I'm far too polite to express that reason. Now I'm demanding that you stop this. You've already created more gossip than I know what to do with."

Bruce leaned towards her. His eyes gleamed beneath his cowl as he whispered, "I will only stop when you listen to me, Diana. Do you need me to tell you what I want? Or has your husband never properly educated you on the matter?"

Diana buried her right hand within the folds of her gown – cut in the classic Greek style, fisting the silk material in an effort to keep herself from outright slapping Bruce. She stepped away again and glared at him. "I'll see to it that my _**husband**_ meets you tomorrow afternoon so that you may discuss this with him in greater detail. Will that better suit you?"

"There's no need, Princess. When it comes to you, Clark and I already share an understanding." Bruce smirked, adjusted his cape and stared her down with haughtily. Offering her a nod, he turned and strode over towards Green Lantern, interrupting Hal's conversation with a pretty Amazon with a few curt words.

Diana narrowed her gaze, wishing it was politically correct to publicly castrate men (on Themyscira, it _was_ legal). With each passing day, she was beginning to believe it was far better being miserable _with_ Kal than being miserable _without_ him. Their separation was supposed to bring them a form of uniting, healing peace – not this . . . _war_.

She wandered closer to Donna and said urgently, "_We must leave. Now._"

Hal flicked a glance at Diana as he took in the scene behind Bruce's back. He turned to the silent Amazon by his side, the courting of whom had been rudely interrupted by Bruce. He discreetly held up an apologetic gloved hand, asking for patience, silently, watching her brow crease as she nodded. Phansi of the Queen's personal body guard made no comment but watched as Hal turned back to listen to Bruce's mumbled words….

Diana watched Bruce to make sure that Hal kept him occupied. Someone leaned towards her, bringing the refreshing scent of citrus into the air. "Diana," her mother chimed. "You look incredibly annoyed."

"I am incredibly annoyed." Diana snapped, letting out a harsh breath. She spun towards her mother. "Your Majesty, Mother, where have you been?"

Despite the crowd of guests that was causing everyone irritation, Queen Hippolyta remained an island of calm and poise. Immortal as she was, her face remained timelessly beautiful, with a fresh youthfulness, even as her eyes narrowed in concern at her eldest daughter's annoyance.

Diana leaned towards her mother. "Green Lantern is keeping Bruce occupied. I demand that you do something. He is your guest and therefore _your_ responsibility. Not mine."

Queen Hippolyta's blue eyes flicked over towards Hal and Bruce, met Phansi's eyes, acknowledged the question there and gave her approval, before moving back to rest her gaze on Diana.

She shook her head and ushered Diana away from the scene, her gown bushing against Diana's.

Once they were a few steps away, her mother flicked her wrists, momentarily hiding mother and daughter from those around them, and whispered, "You do realize Bruce is waiting for you and Kal to divorce, as they say in your adopted land, yes?"

Diana rolled her eyes. "As if I would ever—"

"What is more," her mother added in an even more hushed tone, now appearing concerned, "Kal may be planning on it."

Diana stared at her, her breath hitching. "Whatever do you mean? Kal and I aren't—"

"Apparently, upon hearing all the gossip, Kal went to Bruce and demanded proof of your involvement with him, lest he beat the man to death, despite his vow not to kill. Two days later, Bruce provided him with proof."

Diana choked. "What proof? I never—"

Her mother grabbed her arm and turned Diana to face her.

"Bruce prevailed upon the one of the staff at Themyscira House and acquired one of your silk panties, then delivered it to Kal. Therein providing proof."

Diana gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief. She grabbed both of her mother's hands and squeezed them in a frantic effort to balance herself and her thoughts. "How do you know all of this?"

Queen Hippolyta looked steadily into Diana's eyes for a moment. Then she said, "With Kal moving out, I was worried about you living alone. So I . . . sent my personal guard to watch over you a bit more carefully."

Diana felt her throat tightening as she glanced back towards Bruce who was still enthusiastically conversing with Hal. "Keep me from slitting his throat from ear to ear," she rasped. "Why is he doing this to me? I never once—"

"Calm yourself," Queen Hippolyta hissed, laying her hand on Diana's wrist. "And more importantly, keep your voice to a whisper. Now, let us fetch you a glass of nectarine juice and you can retire for the evening. In the morning, we will try to settle this misunderstanding as best we can."

Diana drew in a steady breath, trying to calm herself. She let the breath out, nodding. "I believe I will require more than one glass of nectarine juice. I'll require four or five. Maybe even six."

"Whatever amount will keep you calm. Now come along." Twirling her wrist to reveal themselves again, Queen Hippolyta tucked her hand into the crook of Diana's arm and whisked her away in the opposite direction.

Together, they bumped their way through the crush of people and didn't slow their pace until they were on the other side of the Council Room.

Diana heaved out a sigh and glanced at her mother. "I don't understand why you didn't tell me that you had your personal guard at Themyscira House. Who was it? Phansi, who is being rewarded by your approving a tryst with Hal or…"

Her mother patted Diana's forearm. "How does it matter? It has helped us learn about Bruce's machinations. That's all that is important. You know that."

Queen Hippolyta suddenly yanked them both to a halt, turning them in the direction of another guest. "Wildcat!" her mother exclaimed. "Oh, thank heavens. Such divine timing I have never known."

Queen Hippolyta scurried them both over to a grey-black costumed man whose formidable physique reminded Diana of Kal.

Diana's heart momentarily skipped at the realization of who he was. Ted Grant. Widlcat. Founding member of the JSA. At one point in time, her mother's lover.

Why, Diana hadn't even heard his name announced today by the heralds in the Council Room.

"My dear Queen Hippolyta." Wildcat took her mother's free hand and bowed ardently over it, leaving the barest trace of a kiss on her knuckles. "I demand we find a less crowded room. My chambers or yours?" He waggled his cat's whiskers and grinned crookedly, still holding on to Queen Hippolyta's hand.

Her mother released a girlish laugh and coyly withdrew her hand not only from him, but also from Diana's own arm.

"Do tame yourself," she shrilled. "We are in public."

Ted Grant continued to blatantly grin at her, not in the least bit fazed. "Must you remind me?"

The two openly laughed.

It was like listening to teenagers prattle. Only far worse. When the opportunity of silence presented itself, Diana decided to interject. "Forgive me, Wildcat, but I need to leave. Mother, your pardon, but I must find Kal."

Ted Grant turned his well conditioned body towards her, his eyes taking on a momentary coolness. "Kal is not here and he isn't coming."

"Not coming. How do you know?"

Diana didn't care if Wildcat saw her anxiety. There was no sense in pretending she cared about anything _but_ Kal just now.

"Your mother asked me to come with him. And I was with him earlier. The boy has never been one for confrontations. You know that."

He stiffly grasped Diana's hand, kissed the top of her knuckles and paused, staring her down. "Kal is beside himself over these stories of you and Bruce. As am I."

She choked, her grasp on his hand tightening. "_I_ am beside myself. It is a farce, Wildcat. A lie. All of it. My mother can attest."

Wildcat tugged her in closer with the jerk of her hand, forcing her to stare straight into his stern face. "I know that and so does your mother. But Kal does not. Now stop all of this nonsense, move back in your husband and settle down with some babies. Changing nappies usually has a salutary effect."

Diana swallowed back the biting sensation of tears burning her eyes and pulled her shaky hand out of his. She had miscarried far too many times – five, to be exact — for there to be any humour in his words. "Didn't my mother explain my situation? Or do you find yourself thoroughly amusing?"

Her mother touched her arm, silently pleading she refrain from saying anything more.

Wildcat blinked, then set his hands behind his back and abruptly turned towards her mother.

"Whatever the situation may be, I think we should put an end to these rumours." He scanned his surroundings. "I can help by talking to some of the heroes here."

Diana's heart skipped at the unexpected gesture. "You intend on assisting? Why?"

He glared at her. "Kal was extremely depressed when I left him a little while ago. I wouldn't like to see such a noble being brought so low. What else do you want me to do?"

Oh, poor Kal. She couldn't imagine what he must be thinking or feeling. They had promised to be faithful during their time apart and now this . . .

From behind them, someone cleared their throat. "Pardon the interruption," Donna said. "But I require the company of my sister for a while."

Diana refrained from groaning, but opted to heave out an exasperated sigh instead. She supposed if she couldn't be a good wife, she might as well be a good sister. She reluctantly turned to Wildcat. "Will you do me a favour? If you can carry a message to Kal, please tell him that I still love him and him alone. Despite everything."

Wildcat responded, "I'll meet you tomorrow afternoon. I have an idea as to what should be done."

Diana supposed any assistance in this matter would be helpful. "I'll wait for you," she said, more than ready not only to face Kal, but to reclaim him and in turn become the wife he deserved.

Donna walked past her and moved towards Wildcat. "Tell Kal that I have a pair of fists waiting to meet him," she snapped, not at all bothering to lower her voice. "What kind of man abandons his own wife?"

Diana's eyes widened as she pulled her sister back and turned her around to face her. "Whatever are you doing?" she hissed, glancing around at those who were beginning to stare. "He didn't abandon me. It was a mutual separation."

Donna glared at her with blazing eyes. "I'm simply supporting you, Diana. Someone has to. Now come with me." She grabbed Diana's arm and tugged her rudely in the opposite direction.

For the rest of the evening Diana made a point of avoiding Bruce at all times. After all, she didn't want to be rude and spray the man's blood everywhere when she attacked him.

_Two days later, night, as the clock strikes ten  
>The Kent Apartment <em>

Clark Kent was simply the earthly persona of the being called Superman, who as Kal – El, was the last son of a far-away planet called Krypton. While Clark had made every effort to appear human and a native born of this planet, he had never once in the course of his lifetime indulged in alcohol.

He wasn't going to begin tonight. Though he wished he could.

Of course, drowning the last of his rational mind was the only way he could gain his courage to face his own wife – who already appeared to be an hour late. Damn her. As an immortal, time meant nothing to her. But apparently, neither did he.

Kal shifted against the sofa cushion and tried to focus on preventing his bare fingers from crushing the frame of the sofa. It was a miracle he hadn't lost control till now.

He glanced across the length of the dimly lit apartment towards the entry and examined his booted feet again. He breathed deeply and allowed his super senss to inhale the faintest trace of his wife's favourite soap – white roses.

The very thought of his wife, Diana touching another man made him want to smash everything around him. Never did he think she of all people would do such a thing.

With each droning minute that passed in silence, Kal couldn't help but feel increasingly pathetic about waiting around for a wife who apparently was not coming. That alone spoke of guilt. She couldn't even face him.

Regardless, he was not leaving until she arrived. He wanted a damn explanation as to how her panties had gotten into Bruce's hands. And if that explanation wasn't good enough, by God, he was getting a divorce and leaving the JLA.

"_Wildcat!"_ Kal leaned forwards impatiently, swaying for a brief moment against his own movement, and glanced towards the doorway, where Ted Grant stood nonchalantly looking down at him.

"Is my wife coming or not? Where is Diana?"

After a few moments of silence, Wildcat held up his hands. There was what appeared to be two black strips of cloth in his hands.

Wildcat strode towards him. "She just arrived. Apparently, she couldn't decide on what to wear."

That most certainly was unlike Diana. Diana never had a problem deciding what to wear. She was almost always in her uniform. As was he. It was better that way. That way, there'd be no indecision about clothes.

Wildcat paused before him.

Kal watched as Wildcat casually draped one of the black velvet sashes over the chair, then snapped the other strip of black velvet taut between his hands. "Lean forwards."

Kal pulled himself back instead. "What do you mean 'lean forwards'? What do you intend to do with that? Put that away!"

Widlcat's brows went up as he extended the black velvet blindfold. "Do you or don't you wish to save your marriage?"

Kal choked. "I . . . My marriage? What is all this?"

"Lean forwards, Superman. I won't ask again."

Kal huffed out a breath, knowing after spending time with Wildcat, one did not ask questions. One simply hoped for the best. He leaned forwards, as told.

Wildcat glared at him. "Don't worry. The idea is to save your marriage. Not destroy the last of it."

Regaining his poise, Kal shifted towards Widlcate. "I'm not sure I want to save it."

"Your wife may just about surprise you."

Wildcat smirked and placed the thick, double-folded soft velvet against the bridge of Kal's nose, covering his eyes.

Darkness flooded Kal's vision as Wildcat secured the blindfold firmly against the back of his head. Try as he might to use his super-vision, he was unable to see through the blind fold. Before he realized what was happening, both of his hands were yanked hard behind his back and tightly bound together.

"What—?" Kal struggled against the ties that bound him. "What is this? _Untie me!_" he boomed, unable to free his wrists from the tight binding.

He was unable to see through the blindfold and unable to move his hands.

Shuffles and movements floated around him in the fuzzy darkness. "Try to free yourself," Wildcat said to him, his cat-like strides disappearing out into the corridor. "My role is done. I'm off to meet Polly."

The tap of boots filled the room.

"Diana?" Kal demanded.

"Yes, Kal?" Her voice was soft and flirtatious. "What is it?"

He froze. It had been months since her voice had been that soft or that flirtatious. "What . . . These bonds are magical. You'd best untie me. Do it. Now."

"Why would I do that? You are supposed to remain bound for the rest of the evening."

He choked. "In Rao's name! I'm demanding you untie me. Before I acquire a divorce on the grounds of this alone!"

"Oh hush, already. Where is your sense of adventure? Lately, you've been taking everything too seriously."

A pair of firm hands grabbed hold of his forearm and waist and guided him forcefully forwards in a direction that was anything but straight.

He scrambled forwards, trying to keep his body upright, though with his hands tied behind his back, and the loss of his vision, it was difficult to balance. He stumbled and winced. "I should probably point out, Diana, that I have the use of my other super senses. All of them."

"So I've noticed." She eased their pace, and tucked her lithe, curvaceous body against him, tightening her hold on his waist, to assist in his movements.

Kal swayed and awkwardly adjusted himself against her. Soft, abundant hair grazed his skin as she slowly led him forwards. He unwittingly leaned into her, willing himself to submit to whatever was happening to him.

The rustling of her body, which brushed up against suited legs, was all that met his ears. Seeing that they weren't climbing any stairs – fortunately for him – his guess was that she was opting for the closest private room there was.

Clark Kent's study.

She brought them to a halt and slid out of his reach. He heard the soft creak of the door opening.

A warm, soft hand grabbed his and carefully guided him through. Her other hand took hold of his arm, encouraging him to remain where he was, before releasing him again.

The door thudded closed, he was now officially at her mercy.

And then . . . there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Kal stood in blinding darkness and silence, knowing Diana was still nearby by listening to her heartbeat. It was pulsing wildly, madly fast.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. "Do you find yourself amusing?"

Her breath was exhaled on a soft sigh. And without a word, gentle, yet firm, warm hands smoothed their way over his uniform, on his chest and against his waist in a seductive manner that made him suck in a breath.

She placed her own warmth close against the front of his body, forcing him to feel every soft inch of her. Her lower body pushed against the length of his trousers. The stiffness of her bustier and her full breasts beneath pressed against his chest.

She continued to tenderly hold him and did not attempt anything more. His pulse drummed in time with hers. It was as equally wrenching as it was awkward, knowing how long it had been since she had so willingly touched him.

Rao help him, all he wanted to do was . . .

Kal lowered his chin into a soft mass of white rose scented curls that touched his lips. "Diana. Please."

Diana readjusted in his arms and laid her head on the expanse of his chest, sighing ever so wistfully. As if it was the only place she was ever meant to be.

Kal swallowed. The way that sigh escaped her lips, and the way her hands and fingers dug possessively into the back of his waist, achingly reminded him of the way their marriage used to be. Perfect. Romantic. All the things he and Diana had lost with each and every miscarriage.

Damn her. Damn her for not using their separation to heal her body and her soul as they had agreed on. "I want an explanation as to what is going on between you and Bruce. And I will have that explanation _after_ you bloody remove this blindfold and untie my hands. Is that understood?"

Her head lifted from his chest. Pulling her arms from around his waist, she scrambled outside of his grasp. "You will get an explanation after we play a little game."

He blinked against his blindfold and huffed out a breath, trying to focus. "I would sooner demand a divorce than entertain any of this."

A hush met his ears.

Kal raised his chin slowly. Then lowered it. He tried to see her through the blindfold. "Are you there?" he ventured. "Or did I cause you to faint and somehow missed the thud?" He said the words to rile her. He knew she knew that he could still hear her heartbeat, could still smell her own special aroma…the scent of her soap, made with white roses, mixing ever so closely with the musk of her own body….

When she didn't answer, he attempted to move his hands against the velvet binding. He raised himself a little in flight above the floor during the attempt. "Your humour knows no bounds. This is all very symbolic, I assure you."

He suddenly froze, sensing Diana was not only standing before him, but was actually leaning _in_ towards him. He swallowed, as the heat of her body seemed to pulse against his own, bidding him to forget everything and give in to the temptation of touching her intimately.

She obviously wanted them to be intimate. But . . . why?

"It's obvious your wife never appreciated you as much as she should have," she whispered, her hushed voice sounding so incredibly close it startled him. "Which is why she humbly asks to pleasure you in a manner you deserve. Will you let her?"

His breath hitched in his throat in response. Great Krypton, he couldn't have heard her right.

This was all the result of the magical bonds that bound him.

Kal moved back and away, but the floor beneath him – which he could barely feel, let alone see – swayed. He sucked in a harsh breath and squeezed his eyes shut behind the blindfold, steadying himself and his thoughts.

It certainly was the magic – that was the only reason he was downright delusional.

Kal opened his eyes again and blinked against the darkness of the blindfold. "I . . . No. I can't do any of this. Not until you tell me of your relationship with Bruce."

"I won't offer you an explanation, Kal, not unless you agree to play a game with me. You used to love playing games in the bedchamber. Or have you already forgotten what it is you love?"

Damn. In some ways, yes, of course, he wanted this. But to submit himself to her without explanation?

He was usually a rational man. Usually.

Rao, even while rumours about Diana's involvement with Bruce had choked him to a fury he never thought possible, he had allowed reason to rein him in and decided to visit the Wayne manor for an explanation.

Instead of shattering Bruce's skull against the floor like a piece of china, as he should have, he coolly demanded proof of the man's involvement with his own wife. And the proof came, two days later, in the form of Diana's silk panties, which he recognized all too well.

The panties monogrammed with her royal crest as Princess of Theymscira, his super senses picking up the residual soft fragrance of the soap she loved, a soap made especially for her, from white roses, by the nymphs on Themyscira.

The panties he had burned with his heat vision.

"I want an explanation," he snapped.

"And you will get it by the end of the night. The question of more notable importance is . . . do you trust me, Kal?"

He swallowed. Hard. He wanted to trust her. He wanted to trust her with his entire heart, the way he always had, but . . . "I don't know if I do."

"Then you'll receive no explanation and you can fly out of the window by yourself. I'm certain you'll provide a lot of entertainment to everyone, as you are."

"Diana, for goodness' sake—"

"Do you know the name of the game we are about to play?"

"Yes. It's called Let Us Torture the Husband_."_

She snorted. "No. It's called Cat's Paw. According to Wildcat, it's a game popular on Earth."

Kal rumbled out a laugh. "You really shouldn't listen to Wildcat. He's good at making up stories."

She sighed. "Do you think I would have agreed to any of this if I didn't think it would benefit us? You and I both know how much our intimacy has suffered due to our inability to have children. I wish to set all of that aside. I want to save our marriage."

He shifted from boot to boot, struggling to understand her and what it was she wanted. "Why?"

"Because I love you and hope that you still love me." There was an aching softness in her voice. "Now please. Ask me how the game is played. Show me how much our marriage means to you."

He shifted his jaw. "How is it played?"

"You'll remain blindfolded and your hands will remain tied. Nothing will be allowed to exist for you except for pleasure. Everything else, all doubts, all questions, all fear, must fall away. By allowing everything to fall away, only that which is important will remain. What one _feels_."

"A philosophical game tainted with eroticism. How very . . . _cat's paw,_ indeed."

"So you will play?"

He snorted. "In my own apartment? Diana. You could have chosen a better place."

"Where better to play than where we first made love together? No one will disturb us. The JLA knows we're off duty. Now if you promise to keep your blindfold in place, I will go against the rules and allow your hands to be untied. So you can touch me."

He exhaled a long breath at the thought of touching her.

It had been so long.

So long, he couldn't even remember what she felt like. Pathetic, was what he was. Which cruel person had called him Superman? He was quite simply pathetic. "I . . . very well. Do it. Before I change my mind."

"You promise to keep your blindfold in place?"

"Yes, yes. I promise."

She rounded him, bare fingers working against the velvet bindings. Within moments, his hands were free.

"Undress." Her voice was flirtatious but controlled and authoritative.

"Remove your cape, belt, uniform, boots. In exactly that order." She paused, then added a quick, "Please."

He was deranged, to be sure. To be with her like this without even knowing whether she and Bruce . . .

Then again, that was the point of the game, wasn't it? Exhaling a ragged breath, he slowly slid his cape from his shoulders. Already he felt himself growing hard at the thought of having her. With the darkness that continued to press against his eyes preventing him from seeing her body or her face, he envisioned his beautiful Diana in a state of undress, and sincerely hoped this was not the last time he ever touched her.

Diana drew in a shaky breath as Kal slipped the upper half of his uniform from his belt and pulled it down the length of his muscled arms, exposing his rippled chest.

His arousal pressed against the pants of his uniform, making a most appealing bulge. Her fingers clenched into fists at her side and her gaze drifted back up to his blindfolded face. The fact that he was willing to play meant he wanted to save their marriage as much as she did. Which is all that mattered.

Although Kal wore a magical velvet strip over his eyes that prevented him from seeing her , the way he casually stood there, his body positioned towards her, made her feel as if he were very comfortable with what he was about to do. Unlike before. He was allowing everything to fall away in order to give himself over to her.

He lifted his chiselled chin, causing his forelock to fall onto his forehead. "What are you wearing? Describe it to me." There was a raw huskiness to his voice that made her stomach squeeze.

It was a huskiness she only had the privilege of ever hearing during their lovemaking. It was something she hadn't heard for months, due to her fear of miscarrying another child. But what was that fear compared to losing the only man she would ever love?

It was obvious that if she wanted to save this marriage, she needed to show him that she was still the wife he once knew and loved. The wife capable of overseeing his passion and his pleasure in the most unexpected of ways.

"My uniform, red and white stars with star-spangled pants," she offered in a soft, soft tone. "It leaves my shoulders bare."

She shakily pushed away a misplaced curl from the side of her face. She hadn't realized how nervous she was about being intimate with him again. Especially under such unconventional circumstances.

But that was exactly the point of this game. To let everything, including one's surroundings, disappear.

"Bare shoulders," he murmured as if he couldn't imagine her like that, let alone have seen her….

Her gaze fell to his chest, her breath catching as she ran her eyes over his well defined muscles.

If possible, he was more muscled than before. It was more than obvious where her husband had been spending all of his time these past three months. In his red sun simulation gym in his Fortress. How many poor robots had he hit far too hard because of her?

He moved his arms above his head and stretched lazily. Muscles rippled in cascading unison impressively.

Diana would have fainted if she hadn't locked her knees into one another. For physically, Kal was still every bit of the man she remembered. And missed.

He quietly stood there, at his full height, his broad, smooth shoulders set and his arms lean and defined from all the exercise he'd forced himself to undertake ever since he'd realized that he was powerless under a red sun. Soft whorls of hair trailed from his chest down to a narrow path that made its way towards the only thing that remained covered.

He shifted his jaw, but otherwise continued to stand, motionless. As if waiting for her to approach.

She moved closer to him and set the booted toes of her Amazonian boots against the tips of his red Kryptonian boots. She allowed her body to just barely touch his body, just a hint of closeness, tantalizing enough to torment both of them. Her gaze drifted up the length of his naked chest, which rose and fell in slow, even breaths, until she rested upon the view of his full lips. The clean and simple scent of his own unique bodily aroma mingling with the scent of the soap that Kal had created for himself drifted towards her, causing her already heightened senses to flutter. He always preferred the simple scent of soap. Even on her. Which is why she didn't wear any perfume tonight. In his honour.

The clock in the room chimed, startling her for a moment. It chimed a total of eleven times before clicking back into silence.

Kal's large hands grabbed hold of her shoulders, causing her heart to nearly leap out of her throat in astonishment. He reached down and around her with his bare muscled arms. His large hands grabbed each round cheek of her bottom, barely hidden beneath her uniform, then yanked her body up hard, against his towering, broad body. He held her firmly in place against his erection, his jaw tight. Stating his intentions quite openly.

He slid his hands from her bottom and up along the back of her uniform. His fingers gently looked for the hidden fastenings that held the material of her uniform in place. She had shown them to him once and he had never forgotten. Only with her permission could anyone undo the mystical fastenings. Diana had granted Kal that access the first time they had made love and had never withdrawn the approval. It was the best decision she had ever made, she mused now.

Then her mind blanked and nothing mattered in that moment. Nothing but his touch. She stared up at him in complete awe, her chest falling and rising a bit too quickly.

Without a single word, Kal released the fastenings, the muscles in his taut arms shifting around her. One by one, he released them, until he had opened the entire back of her uniform, exposing her undergarments.

His jaw tightened and his lips pressed together as he slipped his large hands beneath the parted material of the uniform, sweeping it down from her shoulders and arms, letting it fall to her waist.

His warm hands skimmed the length of her arms, causing her to catch her breath as goosebumps pebbled her skin. He slid his hands up towards her neck and dug his long fingers into the nape of her neck. He tilted her head up towards him and bent his head to lower his lips on to hers.

A warm softness grazed her lower and upper lips.

Diana closed her eyes in utter bliss and slid her hands up the tight, smooth length of his muscled back. She pressed her body against his warmth. And revelled in it. She hadn't realized how much she missed the bliss of his touch until that moment.

His wet tongue slid into her mouth and touched hers. He pressed his lips harder against her and moved his tongue more urgently into her mouth, silently demanding she make love to him.

Before she could fully enjoy his kiss, he withdrew his tongue from her mouth and outlined her lips softly with the tip. Circling, tasting. Circling, tasting. He drew her upper lip slowly, playfully between his teeth, nipped it then licked. Nipped it again then licked.

Passionately kissing him, her hands left the expanse of his back to slide down between their bodies, past the folds of her uniform gathered at her waist. She skilfully released the belt of his suit, pushing the material down his muscled thighs, wanting to touch every part of him.

Their mouths momentarily broke away from each other as she grasped hold of the hard length of him with one hand. She slid her hand against his hard smoothness, staring up at him, wanting and needing his reaction.

His lips parted in a groan, he threw his head back and held her firmly against him. His chest heaved unevenly as his body tensed. He groaned again, levelling his head. He blindly grabbed hold of her wrists, bumping his knuckles against her stomach.

He yanked her hands away from his body, then grabbed hold of her waist, and dragged them both on to the floor. She gasped as the cool floor pressed against the exposed, heated skin of her back.

He rolled carefully, so as not to crush her, but quickly, off to the side, threw off his boots and the rest of his uniform from his body.

Until he was left gloriously naked with nothing on but a velvet blindfold.

He felt his way back to her and climbed atop her legs, which Diana had freed from her uniform, divesting herself of the rest of her clothes in haste.

His hands slid up the length of her legs, pushing them apart. Cool air pressed against the wetness between her legs as Kal lowered his head.

His hot wet tongue met her core. She gasped and closed her eyes as a powerful sensation of pleasure rippled through her body. His tongue pressed harder against her, and she gasped in complete disbelief that she was already so shatteringly close to divine intervention.

But then his lips disappeared, as did the warmth of his hands, as he pulled himself, raising himself above her body.

Her eyes popped open. Her breaths came in short desperate takes. She blinked.

He wound his arms around her, his body hard, yet so warm and welcoming. "I cannot deny it," he whispered hoarsely. "Despite everything, I have missed you."

Her heart skipped. "You have?"

His hand affectionately skimmed the side of her face, down the curve of her throat.

He slipped over the length of her, causing her to melt. He slowly skimmed his forefinger from the inside middle of her exposed thigh up to the very spot she wanted and needed him to touch most. Her heated skin tingled in response as she further dissolved into a world of pleasure she had forgotten, and to which she desperately wanted to escape again.

He slid his finger deep into her, pushing her once again towards climax. She fisted her hands in his hair and her mind momentarily emptied. It was amazing. _He_ was amazing. He'd always been. She'd simply . . . forgotten.

He climbed over her, placing both hands on each side of her head and rubbed his hardness against her.

His mouth found hers without hesitation, as if he knew exactly where her lips were, and he kissed her deeply, his tongue pushing hard against hers.

She moaned into his mouth as he lifted himself on to one arm and used his other hand to guide himself into her. She gasped as his hips drew back and he drove deep into her, hissing out a breath.

Diana cried out in bliss and dug her nails into the flesh of his taut skin, trying to feel and breathe her way through the moment. Trying to feel and breathe through every sensation imaginable as it enveloped her body.

He drove deep into her again. She could barely breathe as those building, wondrous sensations scorched her body. She moved against every thrust, wanting and needing more. She could feel the sensation within her core building. Growing. It had been too long.

"Diana." His voice simmered with fierce passion as he licked her entire mouth, leaving it cool and wet. He slammed repeatedly into her, grinding her harder to the floor.

A remarkable haze took over the rest of her body and mind. Her name entwined upon his lips and the escalating pressure of his hard length moving against her threw Diana into that spiralling, whirling paradise she'd missed.

She savagely held on to his naked waist and cried out as endless ripples roared throughout the entire length of her body that both tightened and released her core.

He was relentless in his savage need. "Diana," he rasped, then threw back his head and let out a guttural moan of pleasure that reverberated throughout her entire body and soul.

That flushed face, partly hidden by the black blindfold, and his heaving, muscled chest spoke of the pleasure he had found with her. And she couldn't help but love it.

He settled silently beside her.

She swallowed, wondering if this was the moment to speak. Surely now Kal knew how she felt. How she had always felt.

He raked his ruffled hair with a hand, shifting against the floor. "I want to know," he blurted. "For God's sake, I have a right to know."

Her eyes widened. So much for him knowing how she felt.

Diana stood up in fluid motion, reaching to pick up her uniform as she stood, saying, "Is that all you have to say to me?"

"Blast you, Diana!" He snapped both of his hands up and frantically tugged at the blindfold. "Why do you refuse to answer? Because of guilt?"

"No. Because if I do, I will be acknowledging that you never trusted me to begin with. And if there is no trust between us, what else is left of this marriage? Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Feeling as though her legs wouldn't hold her up for much longer, she sank to the floor before him. She reached over to Kal and undid the blindfold around his eyes.

When Kal ripped the blindfold away from his face and flung it aside, his eyes were instantly flooded with warm lights and the earthy colours of Clark's study. It somehow helped to bring his mind and body back into focus.

He blinked at Diana, who sat near him on the floor. His heart momentarily stopped beating as he wordlessly stared at the beautiful face he had missed so much.

She continued to gaze straight at him, with those blue-gray eyes, and lowered her chin ever so slightly. As if not in the least bit pleased with him.

Several ebony-black curls lay scattered around her bare, full shoulders. Shoulders that were never covered by her uniform and were bare to his gaze even now.

The room wavered and tipped to the side as he flew at super speed into Clark's bedroom to put on a dressing gown and grab a blanket for Diana, placing it around her shoulders, covering them, brushing her cheek at super speed with a gentle kiss.

Her words about his lack of trust bit into him. For she was right. But that still didn't explain why Bruce had her panties.

"Kal." Her strained voice brought him back to reality. "Why are you allowing doubts to destroy the last of us?"

He never had doubts before. Not until they had agreed to a mutual separation. All of these months without her had been consuming the last of his soul.

"If you feel an explanation is too much to ask, I will bid you a goodnight."

He made no reply, simply allowed himself to take in the scene before him. Clothes scattered on the floor – her uniform, his uniform, belt, boots, cape.

"Kal," she insisted hoarsely. "It tears me apart that you would think the worst of me. Based on silk panties. Do you know how ridiculous you are being?"

He kept his back to her, his chest heaving. "And rumours, Diana. Rumours of Bruce meeting you at Themyscira House ever so often. All that aside, are you telling me that the silk panties I received were not yours?"

"They are mine. But Bruce did not acquire it by stripping it from my body, that I assure you. He bribed one of my staff for it in an effort to make you think the worst of me. You can meet her though she no longer works at Themyscira House. But you do know that my word is my honour and I have never lied to anyone in my life. I will not begin by lying to you. I have never allowed Bruce to touch me or to kiss me, though we are close – you know that. As a Leaguer, you can't stare death in the face and not feel closeness for the one facing death with you. But Bruce has never been more than a friend who comforted me during our separation. Though I have been suffering, I have been faithful to you, Kal. The question is, who do you believe? Bruce? Or me, your wife of four years?"

Kal turned towards her, feeling sick.

He stared her down and whispered hoarsely, "Swear it. Swear it upon whatever love we ever shared. Swear that Bruce never touched you."

"I swear it upon the love I hope we _still_ share. I would never hurt you in so cruel a manner, and I had hoped you would never hurt me by thinking that I could." She pleadingly met his gaze from where she knelt on the floor, the blanket spread out about her in a puddle of blue-coloured cloth. The front of the folds were wide open, providing teasing glimpses of her clear alabaster skin.

Having known Diana for most of his adult life, and most closely through the four years of their marriage, he could tell by her eyes, her demeanour and her voice that she was in fact telling him the truth. And Diana would never lie to him. He trusted her on that. In fact, he trusted her with his life.

He choked, feeling as if the burden he'd been carrying with him all these months fell away. "Diana," he choked out, his knees feeling weak. "Forgive me. After you insisted that we stop making love, all these months, I have been—"

"No, Kal. I ask that you forgive me. You're right. I was distant for too many months, never allowing you to touch me out of an irrational fear of losing another child. But it never meant I loved you any less. I simply never realized our inability to have children was destroying who I was – destroying us."

He swallowed. "I will not have you blaming yourself. I wasn't as understanding as I could have been. I expected too much of you."

"We both expected too much of each other." She lifted the blanket so as not to stumble, and pushed herself up off the floor, careful to ensure that the blanket that covered her did not slip.

"I . . . should dress," he murmured, picking up his clothes in a daze.

He snatched up his pants of his suit, shoved in his left leg, then his right, and yanked them up to his waist in a single swoop.

His hands shook as he attempted to fasten the belt of the suit.

He avoided looking at Diana, afraid to say anything that he would regret later.

Kal yanked rest of his suit over his head, pulling it into place, and stuffed the ends into his pants. He pulled his boots and looped his cape around his neck, barely aware of what he was doing.

"Kal, the only good to have come of our separation is that it made me realize I cannot live a life without you. Please tell me you cannot live a life without me and that our inability to have children will not keep you from loving me." Her tear-streaked blue-grey eyes met his, causing his chest to tighten.

Her words, at this moment, held everything he had ever wanted from them. But, as always, he couldn't put his emotions into words for fear they wouldn't match what was truly in his heart.

The clock chimed once, announcing it was eleven thirty. Then there was nothing but the sound of his heartbeat and hers.

Diana glanced over at the clock. "I suppose you have nothing to say," she whispered. She turned and made her way slowly to the door.

Kal stiffened. No. No, no, no. She couldn't leave. Not now. Not ever again. He would find the right words to say. He would. And that was his vow to her and to himself from this night forth.

Kal sprinted towards her. He slid to a rapid halt before her – or what should have been a halt. In his haste and emotional turmoil, he made a mistake he had never made since a teenager. He miscalculated, allowing his boots to skid a bit until his butt slammed against the door with a loud thud, splintering the door and leaving to hang brokenly from its frame.

He winced at his clumsiness and stilled his large frame against what was left of the door, trying to appear cool, calm and collected despite the fact that he was anything but. He crossed his arms over the 'S' on his chest, cleared his throat and eyed her.

"I know I've always been a man of few words. But, Diana, I . . . I love you. I don't need children to make me happy. I need you to make me happy. I didn't want to admit even to myself that we were incapable of having children. So I can only imagine what you must be enduring."

Tears glistened in her eyes and her full lips trembled. "Come back to me," she whispered. "Where you belong. We will find the words we both lack. I know we will." She sniffed and then rolled her eyes, as if trying to draw attention away from her own sadness. She tugged the blanket up over her shoulders and turned, "Perhaps this conversation might be better helped if I dressed?"

Great Rao, what he really wanted to do was to push the blanket off her body and bury himself deep inside her.

Without a blindfold this time. So he could see everything and show her exactly what she made him feel every time he looked at her. Show her how she put his body and his mind into a state of constant weakness. Weaker than the kryptonite effect. Even after all their time together.

She looked back at him from over her right shoulder, wondering why he had made no response.

Kal stepped towards her and pushed all of her soft curls to the side, so he could see the nape of her neck without using his super vision. His fingers and palms brushed against the blanket as he slid his hands up to her waist. He drew her back against his body, revelling in the moment. He was her husband again. It was all he'd ever wanted and needed. That he knew.

As he lowered his head, his breath warmed her skin, at the nape of her neck, while his fingers trailed a gentle line along the outline of her body. Feeling his body against hers, she whispered, "We must learn to find new ways to love each other. Seeing it will only be us."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her backside against him and leaned towards her ear, nuzzling against the warmth of her throat. "We will find endless ways. That I know."

She caught his hands and squeezed them.

His arms tightened. "By the way, I plan on beating Bruce to a pulp tomorrow morning."

She stilled. "You . . . don't actually mean that, do you? Mind you, yes, he deserves it. But I would rather not see you turn violent. That would be rather pointless, wouldn't it?"

That it would.

"Then what do you propose I do? I am not letting that bastard walk away from this."

She nestled back against him, placing her head in the curve of his throat. "I propose we avenge ourselves by living happily ever after and making him look quite the fool."

Kal smirked. "I prefer to smash him to a pulp."

She shifted towards him and grinned. "Are you being serious?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "I wish I were. I suppose making him look quite the fool will have to do."

He paused, then added, "For now." He eyed the clock in the study and said softly, "Do you think we have enough time to play Cat's Paw again? Before sunshine?"

She turned fully in his arms, her hands sliding up his shoulders and grinned. "I believe we do. Only this time, _I_ intend to wear the blindfold."

He quirked a brow. "How about we put it around your mouth instead? To keep things quiet."

Her eyes widened as she smacked him gently. "Kal!"

He laughed. "It was just a thought."

"Yes. And how very few of those you have."

He smirked. "Why do I suddenly feel married again?"

She grinned. "It's good to see you, too."

"I think we ought to move into the bedroom. A bed would be more comfortable this time. What do you think?"

"Even better." She held out her hand.

"Oh. But before that—" Kal sped around the room and snatched up the pieces of black velvet that they had used in their game.

They could pick up her clothes later.

####

_Mount Olympus – the abode of the Gods_

"You were right, Aphrodite, love prevails over all." The speaker turned to look at the alluring Goddess of Love and Beauty.

Aphrodite simply smiled her most beguiling smile.

Athena, the Goddess most famed for her wisdom, continued, "And in this challenge of the soul, as in all the others of physical nature, Diana has triumphed once more."

"Then you must reward her, as is just and fitting, My Lady," said Queen Hippolyta softly. "I yearn to cradle a grandchild in my arms."

"Hush, Hippolyta, cease your demands. It was important to test their love for each other before the gift of a child," said Hera, Queen of the Gods.

"But the test is over, Lady Hera!" cried Queen Hippolyta

"The test was necessary, Hippolyta. They will have many different trials ahead of them when their relationship will be put to the test again and again. Each will be strengthened all the more for the bonds that they forge now, through love of each other," said Athena softly.

"But they have proven that their hearts are true, and in this truth is their reward," said Hera, nodding her head at Aphrodite.

"Even now, your daughter conceives a child, Hipployta," said Aphrodite, twirling her wrist as she turned towards the Queen of the Amazons.

Wonder and joy suffused Queen Hippolyta's features as she bowed her head to the most formidable goddesses before her, saying, "My thanks…."

####

_Underneath the grounds of the Wayne Manor_

_The Batcave_

Bruce had been surprised to receive the SOS call from Queen Hippolyta. He'd always assumed that Diana and then Clark would be the first people she'd contact if she needed help.

She'd quickly told him why she couldn't contact either of them. She'd also told him how the interfering Olympians had withheld their fertility blessing to test Diana and Clark's relationship. On seeing how his two well meaning best friends had proven that their stubborn streaks were their undoing, Bruce had resolved to help Queen Hippolyta sort it out.

Their plan had worked.

"Do you think that they will guess the role you played in their reunion, Sir?" asked Alfred

"Not if I can help it, Alfred," replied the Batman, not looking up from the screen in front of him, recording the tremors in Metropolis. Not enough to warrant an earthquake panic, but gentle enough to let the sensors that Bruce had installed on Clark's request know that Kal and Diana had made up.

_Correction_, he thought wryly, allowing the barest crease of a smile to appear on his face, _are making out and making up!_


End file.
